NUTRITIONAL VALUE AND SENSORY DESCRIPTION OF "ATADJON BASSAMOIS", A TRADITIONAL INFANTILE PORRIDGE BASED ON TIGERNUT (CYPERUS ESCULENTUS, L.)

Child malnutrition is still a public health problem in Côte d'Ivoire, mainly due to poor feeding practice linked to the low nutritional value of the staple foods used for child nutrition. However, the introduction of tigernut, proteins and lipids rich tuber, in the dietary habits of these children could constitute an interesting nutritional alternative to solve this problem. The objective of this work was to valorize the tigernut-based porridges for their use as complementary food in the diet of weaning children. To this end, physicochemical and organoleptic characteristics of four formulations AB1, AB4, RB2 and SB3 were studied. The atadjon formulations, especially AB1, presented the highest density in energy (95.70 Kcal/100g), protein (5.37 %), lipids (3.8 %) and the lowest contents in anti-nutrients with 2.17% in fiber, 36.6% in oxalates, 65.54% in tannin and 0% in phytates, contrary to the rice (RB2) and tigernut (SB3) control porridges. In addition, the atadjon formulations AB4 and AB1 were preferred to the control because of their sweet taste, tigernut flavor, brown color and flowability according to PCA analysis. Thus, this study indicates that these traditionally prepared porridges could be suitable for children receiving an average level of breastfeeding and three meals per day.

Prospecting the plant growth–promoting activities of endophytic bacteria Cronobacter sp. YSD YN2 isolated from Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus leaves

Purpose Plant growth–promoting (PGP) bacteria are an environment-friendly alternative to chemical fertilizers for promoting plant growth and development. We isolated and characterized a PGP endophyte, YSD YN2, from the leaves of Cyperus esculentus L. var. sativus. Methods Specific PGP characteristics of this strain, such as phosphate solubilization ability, potassium-dissolving ability, siderophore and indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production, and salt tolerance, were determined in vitro. In addition, positive mutants were screened using the atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) technology, with IAA level and organic phosphate solubility as indices. Furthermore, the effect of the positive mutant on seed germination, biomass production, and antioxidant abilities of greengrocery seedling was evaluated, and the genome was mined to explore the underlying mechanisms. Results The strain YSD YN2 showed a good performance of PGP characteristics, such as the production of indole acetic acid and siderophores, solubilization ability of phosphate, and potassium-dissolving ability. It was recognized through 16S rRNA sequencing together with morphological and physiological tests and confirmed as Cronobacter sp. The strain exposed to a mutation time of 125 s by ARTP had the highest IAA and organic phosphate (lecithin) concentrations of 9.25 mg/L and 16.50 mg/L, 50.41% and 30.54% higher than those of the initial strain. Inoculation of mutant strain YSD YN2 significantly increased the seed germination, plant growth attributes, and the activities of peroxidase (POD) and superoxide dismutase (SOD), respectively, but decreased the content of malondialdehyde (MDA) significantly compared with the control. Furthermore, genome annotation and functional analysis were performed through whole-genome sequencing, and PGP-related genes were identified. Conclusion Our results indicated that the mutant strain YSD YN2 with PGP characteristics is a potential candidate for the development of biofertilizers.

Estudio fitosociológico y evaluación del banco de malezas del suelo en tres fincas maiceras del Estado Portuguesa, Venezuela

Los estudios fitosociológicos (EF) y bancos de semillas de malezas del suelo (BSMS) son una herramienta para el manejo de las malezas. El objetivo de esta investigación fue realizar un EF y evaluar el BSMS en tres fincas maiceras del estado Portuguesa, Venezuela, determinándose el índice de valor de importancia (IVI) y plántulas por superficie. Se encontraron diferencias entre la composición florística entre fincas y estudios realizados, detectándose un mayor número de especies en el EF. Las especies con mayor IVI en la finca 1 fueron Ludwigia decurrens Walter, Eclipta prostrata (L.) L., Euphorbia heterophylla L. y Amaranthus dubius Mart. ex Thell., mientras que en el BSMS las de más altas densidades fueron Torenia crustacea (L.) Cham. & Schltd., L. decurrens y Cyperus esculentus L., con 1809,95; 434,39 y 253,39 plántulas∙m-2, respectivamente. En la finca 2, Rottboellia cochinchinensis (Lour.) W.D. Clayton, E. prostrata, Eleusine indica (L.) Gaertn y Helianthus annuus L. tuvieron los más altos IVI, y en el BSMS las especies T. crustaceae, Ammannia latifolia L. y L. decurrens las densidades más altas (389,14; 181,00 y 126,70 plántulas∙m-2, respectivamente). En la finca 3, las malezas con mayores IVI fueron Murdannia nudiflora (L.) Brenan, Cyperus rotundus L. y E. indica, y el BSMS estuvo conformado principalmente por C. rotundus y E. indica con 687,78 y 171,95 plántulas∙m-2, respectivamente. En total, en los dos estudios se registraron 32 especies de malezas en 21 familias botánicas.

Tiger Nuts

The importance of archaeobotany has been widely recognized in recent years, and more research is being conducted to study botanical remains. Only a very few of the cultivated vegetables grown in fields and in gardens were indigenous to Egypt, but one was the tiger nut (Cyperus esculentus L.) which was known and consumed since the Predynastic Period. Remains of dry tiger nuts tubers were found in large quantities in tombs from Neolithic times onwards. Some were found inside the stomachs of bodies as early as the Predynastic Period. Tiger nuts are attested in funerary offering lists, festival offerings, in medicine and in diet. This paper sheds light on the importance of tiger nuts and its different uses. It also urges their use in modern Egypt.

Chufa Drink: Potential in Developing a New Plant-Based Fermented Dessert

Plant-based foods with desirable texture and nutritional value have attracted considerable interest from consumers. In order to meet the growing demand for more sustainable and health-focused products, new sources for plant-based products are needed. In this study, we aimed to develop an innovative plant-based dessert based on the underutilized crop chufa tubers (Cyperus esculentus). The chufa extract was fermented with plant-adapted lactic acid bacteria and formulated with the purpose of imitating the Danish summer dessert “cold butter-milk soup”. The effect of various bacterial fermentations and formulations on steady and oscillatory rheology, stability, dry matter, pH, and sugar profile of the product were studied and compared to a commercial cold buttermilk soup sample. A strain of Leuconostoc mesenteroides was found to create the most similar taste to a commercial sample. By adding lemon juice, sucrose, xanthan gum, and vanilla to the fermented chufa drink, the drink was found to mimic the pH, texture, acid profile, and stability of a commercial dairy-based sample, while containing a lower concentration of carbohydrates.